ResearchTopic: Resiliency

Improving coastal ecosystem resiliency and wetland restoration by leveraging heritable trait variation in populations

AbstractEnvironmental factors are rapidly changing ecosystems across successive levels of biological organization: from genes to ecosystem functioning. Evidence from research I have conducted has shown that environmental factors are strong selective agents capable of alteringintraspecific genetic variation (the number of genotypes at a location), genetic identity (which genotypes are present at a location), and functional […]

Developing flash-flood resilience in areas with buried streams and shallow groundwater: Improving stormwater design guidance and community understanding through science and ethnography

High-intensity rain events are increasing, often exceeding the pipe capacity, and resulting in flooding of streets and houses. In older towns, this pipe capacity also may be reduced because streams were buried in pipes and land development created compaction layers in the soil. These compaction layers reduce deep infiltration, resulting in shallow groundwater movement laterally […]

How Temperature and Phosphorus Loading Influence E. Coli Growth on Cladophora in Lake Erie Beach Waters of Presque Isle State Park

The 13 public Lake Erie beaches of Presque Isle State Park have been particularly affected by water pollution. In 1991, Presque Isle Bay was designated as the 43rd Great Lakes Area of Concern by the U.S. Department of State. While the bay has now been listed as an Area of Recovery, bacterial contamination of the […]

Probabilistic Characterization of Stream Flows in Urbanizing Basins in Pennsylvania Under Climate Change Scenarios

Given the critical role of the streamflow regime for instream, riparian, and floodplain ecosystem sustainability, modeling the long-term effect of urbanization on streamflow is important to predict possible changes in stream ecosystems. Since flow duration curves are largely used to characterize the streamflow regime and define indices for stream ecosystem health, a stochastic model is […]

Potential Impact of Climate Change on Bivalves in the Tidal Freshwater Region of the Delaware River

Bivalve shellfish perform numerous ecosystem services but are under threat from a variety of stressors. Climate change will alter the environmental conditions that bivalve shellfish are sensitive to, so restoration efforts should consider how the future climate will evolve. Here, climate model projections and statistical water quality models were used to estimate future changes in […]

Monitoring a Freshwater Tidal Wetland in the Delaware Estuary: Flooding Influence on Accretion and a Potential for Priority Planning Under Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise

Tidal freshwater wetlands provide numerous important ecological services including carbon and nutrient sequestration, sediment trapping, and natural flood control. Urban and agricultural development, nutrient loading, and sea level rise continue to threaten these ecologically and economically valuable ecosystems. Rates of sea level rise are accelerating with global climate change, which has implications for wetland loss. […]

Living Shorelines Assessment for Community Resiliency in Coastal Pennsylvania

As sea levels rise, the people along Pennsylvania’s eastern coastlines face many challenges, including the loss of tidal wetlands and the associated increase in coastal flooding (Nicholls 2004). Tidal wetlands remain a valuable buffer for rising seas levels and vital habitat for fish and wildlife (Beck et al. 2001; Knight 1997). Unfortunately, the Delaware Estuary […]

Diel Signals in Stream Discharge – Insights Into Watershed Behavior and Potential Impacts of Climate Change

This study examined the characteristics of daily water level fluctuations produced by evapotranspiration measured in riparian areas and within a stream (Buck Hill Creek). The goal was to understand how diel signal characteristics Buck Hill Creek relate to watershed characteristics and predict how the diel signal characteristics might be affected by changing climate. Water levels […]

Research Topic: A Paradigm Shift: Re-Evaluating Phragmites and Phragmites Management in Terms of Coastal Resilience

Overview Coastal wetlands of the Delaware River Estuary and much of North America are converting at a rapid pace to near-monocultures of the invasive lineage of the common reed Phragmites australis (hereafter Phragmites). Unfortunately, we know surprisingly little about how Phragmites invasion affects coastal blue carbon, specifically carbon (C) sequestration or soil C processes (e.g. […]

Evaluating Coastal Wetland Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise in Pennsylvania

Tidal wetlands are important ecosystems that provide a number of ecosystem services such as nutrient transformation and removal, carbon sequestration, and habitat for fish and wildlife. Tinicum marsh in John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge is Pennsylvania’s largest and last remaining tidal wetlands. Tinicum is one of nine wetland monitoring sites within the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Wetland […]

ResearchTopic: Resiliency

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